Passengers flying across the Pacific Ocean are set for a major upgrade in inflight connectivity performance. Panasonic Avionics and Eutelsat announced this week that Eutelsat 172b is now in service, delivering a massive increase in…
Porter Air signs on to join Aeroplan in…
Aeroplan will still have a Canadian airline partner when Air Canada's participation in the program ends in 2020. Toronto-based Porter Air will convert its VIPorter loyalty program into the Aeroplan scheme at that time. Porter…
Air Canada, banks offer to buy Aeroplan
Air Canada, TD Bank, CIBC and Visa Canada offered CAD$2.25 billon to purchase the Aeroplan program back from Aimia. The deal assumes $2bn in liabilities for points outstanding and offers $250mm to Aimia shareholders. The…
WestJet Plus goes legit with Recaro CL4710
Passengers flying in the premium WestJet Plus cabin on the carrier's 737 fleet are getting an upgrade. The company previously announced plans to convert from a "euro-biz" blocked middle seat model to a proper product…
Everyday sexism, Aviation edition
The closing press conference of the IATA Annual General Meeting (AGM) is typically a perfunctory affair. A few dozen journalists gather to hear canned remarks, a few banal questions are asked and then the group…
A not-quite-Basic Economy across the Atlantic
The Star Alliance A++ joint venture airlines launched a new fare product this week for transatlantic travel. The six carriers – Air Canada, Austrian Airlines, Brussels Airlines, Lufthansa, Swiss, and United Airlines are launching a…
AirBaltic commits to CS300 fleet growth
AirBaltic loves its CSeries jets. The Latvian carrier is set to dramatically grow that fleet. Today's deal with Bombardier, inked just over one year since the first CS300 arrived in Riga, adds at least 30…
New direction, new challenges for Gogo: Q1 18…
Repairing the 2Ku systems affected by deicing fluid seepage will cost Gogo north of $25 million in 2018. That unexpected expense is one of a couple setbacks the company announced in its quarterly earnings call…
Air Canada launches Basic Economy fares
Air Canada joins the ranks of airlines offering Basic Economy fares. The carrier formally launched the new fare families today with a suite of five options available, depending on the market. Like other airlines the…